Quick and easy homestead uses for Plastic Bottles (PET)

In the not too distant past, you would buy milk, sodas, etc. in glass bottles which you would return to the store to be sterilized and used again. Now, with our disposable culture, plastic bottles have replaced this system and have consequently become one of the many banes of the landfills. We need to rectify this wasteful and eco-nomically expensive practice.

The current popular solution to the problem is recycling. However, recycling requires additional energy to process the material into something usable, not to mention the fact that the process itself can have harmful side effects. So a better solution, if you can't avoid the disposable containers altogether, is to reuse them. This requires no added infrastructure costs and concerns. In fact, if you are reusing junk, you are helping to make the initial energy that went into the production of that material last longer and go farther. It's not just about saving money, but more importantly, integrating your lifestyle with what is available for the least amount of cost, be it environmental or financial.

That said, here are 10 simple ideas on how to reuse plastic bottles around the homestead.

Keep updated on our ideas for this project: VelaCreations.com

Step 1: Mosquito/Insect Trap

Cut the top (just before the start of the cone) off a 2 liter bottle.

Invert the cone and place it inside the straight part of the bottle.

Glue the two pieces together, using a glue or silicon.

Add 1 tsp yeast and 1/2 cup sugar to some luke warm water, and pour the mixture into the bottle.
Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide that you exhale. The yeast feeds off the sugar and emits the same gas, so the mosquito enters the bottle, thinking she will find food there. She cannot then get out.

You can use the same bottle design for a fly trap, but fill it with a putrid smelling liquid. For wasps, use a sugar mixture. For fish, put under water, and add a bit of cheese or bread.

Comments

[hobotraveler]

I have not made 4 different designs, and the one like this does work, but has some problems. It also will collect rain water if outside. I finally realized, this needs to be inside a room with screens on the windows and screen doors. Then it would capture the mosquitoes that sneak inside when the door is open. Otherwise, it is guiding the mosquitoes to the room which is not wanted. I am testing a couple with just 2 one quarter inch holes in the sides. Which is faster to make, waterproof. Well, in a way,I am trying every combination I can find, but trying to remove the need to buy sugar. There is plenty of fruit scraps here in West Africa. Bottles are scarce in Kara, Togo because the public water system is good, and they drink soda in recycled bottles. in a really poor place, to need to buy anything would stop the use of this idea. And, it does not have immediate results you can see in 10 minutes, so a hard sale.Thanks for the help.

[velacreations]

any fermentation with sugar will give off the CO2 needed for this to work. Fruit peels and scraps with some water will ferment and produce CO2. Soda bottles will work, in fact, we used 2l soda bottles for ours. even better if they have some old soda in there, as that adds sugar to the mix.

[hobotraveler]

I have watched six videos of this on YouTube.com, but you are the first to say the mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide. Thank you, Andy Graham in Kara, Togo an area with Malaria. HoboTraveler.com

[MorNuN]

they are not attracted to carbon dioxide, at least not in the specific meaning of the word attracted.
they guide by carbon dioxide, that's how they find us humans ,even in the darkness, they keep track of increasing amounts of carbon dioxide.

[fbrown58]

I was wondering if I could just staple all around instead of trying to glue would work?

[infernisdiem]

use the cap to cut out the centers and you can make donuts and donut holes

[mizzoumike76]

I'm glad you added the 'thermal mass" use into this. Many people tend to overlook the amount of energy that is wasted every time they open the fridge or freezer. If you're a bachelor with one jar of mustard and one bottle of beer in your fridge: refill all of your old water bottles, and stock up the fridge. When (if) you buy groceries, just remove the necessary amount of bottles to make room. This can save a considerable amount of money/power! Thanks!

[iamjelo]

your idea is also useful during those hot summer days...can you say cold potable water...ahhh refreshing...just don't forget to refill it or remove it if you need the space..

[static]

I thought most bachelors used beer for thermal mass in the refer. Some bacheorettes as well.

[iPodGuy]

Ha ha... My fridge 2 years ago....

[Oldetryke]

I do not understand why the mosequito cannot fly out of the bottle if she flew in.

[professor awsome]

they can but if you put the liquid high enough the bugs aren't smart enough to go back to the entrance and get back out that way. especially if they go to the outermost corners

[jlynne1]

Great ideas!
I especially loved the "brick" idea.
What a great way to recycle!!

[nutsandbolts_64]

You live in the Philippines, don't you. I know because of the Sprite which is made in the Philippines by the Coca-cola company. Btw can you put something der to scoop up dirt?

[PaulCote]

Sprite is one of the most common drinks in america :) It is very cool.

[nutsandbolts_64]

Now that I'm smarter by 2 years, yeah I realized that about 5 months after posting my above comment. It's actually a tad more effective here because of the heat, so the contrast between the sprite's low temp and the high temp of the surrounding environment makes for a oh-so-refreshing drink B-)

[static]

Sprite is available here in North America as well. Generally soft drink are bottle in the country of consumption.

[AmyLuthien]

I took several 2L bottles, drilled 4-5 small holes in each of the caps, then filled the bottles with water and put the caps back on. I then took all those bottles and stuck them cap-end down in the soil around my vegetable plants. It's a cheap way to water your plants while you're on vacation!

[velacreations]

yeah, we do the same thing, but for bee food. We stick the bottle upside down in a small hole in the roof of the bee hive. Works good.

[WhiteaWakening]

This works so fantastic. We swear by it now. Excellent for container gardening.

[WhiteaWakening]

Did the trap last summer and it worked well. We just left about one fourth of the orange soda in the bottle after a few days all that was left was a thick orange syrup which the wasps loved. Caught quite a few, unfortunately it was no match for the nectar my sunflowers and acorn squash were producing. Soon the dozens of wasps would chase us back in the house if we dared step out the door. Soapy water sprayed on the leaves worked pretty well, but you have to spary at night. The Idea is to wash off the nectar. There were always still a wasp or two standing gaurd and even once we sprayed there was always a handful in the day.

[SwedyBird]

How do you Ripen Milk, and if you do not have a cow or goat. What kind of milk do you get at that store? whole milk?...
I am a city girl and would like to try my hand at this...but the Ripen Milk threw me for a loop. (natural born blone) lol.

[GailC]

I think if you get whipping cream (the kind that you actually have to whip) it works...I meant to try it, saw a YouTube vid on it.

[Ron Burgundy]

great ideas. instead of precious soil, how about trash, like plastic bags, used as filler? ive heard of a peace corp student who built a small school like that. She asked 20 students to bring as many bottles as they could find to the site, and she used the trash that littered the streets in the community to fill the bottles with, then some chicken wire, cement and paint, now the kids have a school.

stay classy planet Earth

[h0meIandsecurity]

what is this i don t understand

[jj.inc]

it is to keep the electricity in an electric fence from grounding on each of the metal poles it is held up with

[h0meIandsecurity]

can someone tell me how to repel rabbit i would like to at least see one! i saw one last time before 3 years in my village

[h0meIandsecurity]

attract*

[silver912targa]

You can also use bottles as a friendly mole repellent. Put them halfway in the soil and take the lid off. Because of the wind, the bottles start to make a sound => vibration and moles don't like that.

Michel
Portugal

[h0meIandsecurity]

thx silver912targa do you know something more about repelling/attracting other animals? could you write that all?

[Whatnot]

Of course it will depreciate property values in your area if people have a yard full of old bottles sticking out of the ground :)

[A good name]

You could always organize it in a pattern or make it look like a fence border...

[silver912targa]

Well instead of a "rock garden" you'll get a "bottle garden" something completely different ;-) Why don't we start thinking out of the box? Your garden doesn't have to be full of bottles, otherwise it's no use of repelling the moles isn't it? If you think a little you can place them in a strategic manner so the human eye can't see them but the moles on the other hand will...

[eveh]

Not in my area. LOL..you should see the garden junk in people's yards. It doesn't bother me. I get a kick out of odd things. I even made a life size potman out of terra cotta pots once. I think it is because we are Coastal and people expect this on the Coast. There are actually people who want to buy and live in artsy neighborhoods. Signed: An old hippie

[ceramiceye]

great idea. I'm gonna pass that on to my mom (the gardener in the family). I'm sure that could keep other animals such as woodchucks or rabbits away too, although they are not going to feel the vibration in the ground like the moles, the sounds may keep them away.

[silver912targa]

Good idea, maybe to gain more sound you have to experiment on how deep you put them in the soil and at what angle.

[jacaja]

What about rinsing the butter to make sure you get out all of the buttermilk. Any buttermilk left in will sour quickly. I remember my grandmother did that.

[A good name]

Wasps also appreciate meat products, though I personally prefer to just go with apple juice.

[rocketman221]

one more use add 5-10 grams of rocket fuel, black powder, or flash powder and an electric ignitor, seal up the bottle, shove it into a mouse/rats nest and detonate. easy removal of the nasty little critters and no poison is needed. ive done this too many times to count. just dont do it in the house.

[nutsandbolts_64]

lol